Placement: GRAVIS, Jodhpur, India
Project Title: Sitting on One Carpet: A Study
of Community-Based Organizations in the Thar Desert, India.
Abstract:
In this paper, the author examines the role of community-based organizations
in the Thar Desert, India. Specifically, the author considers the
Village Development Committees (VDCs) established by the non-governmental
organization GRAVIS (Center of People's Science for Rural Development),
and the question of why some VDCs are more successful than others.
In focus group sessions and individual interviews with villagers
from nine carefully selected villages, the author considered definitions
of success, reviewed the various components of the VDC program,
and discussed the future priorities of the village. In this report,
the author explore the definitions of success as defined by both
GRAVIS and the villagers and then identify levels of social capital,
settlement patterns, and relations with the local government as
three possible causal factors of VDC strength. The author offers
three recommendations to strengthen GRAVIS’ VDC program: institute
a regularized planning and monitoring system, provide additional
training sessions to empower VDC members, and offer a new set of
programs to provide incentives to community organizations.
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